Chapter 103: The Secret

Lucian’s POV

My blood ran cold as I turned toward the doorway and found Olivia standing there, staring at us.

"Olivia?" I asked, struggling to hide my surprise. "I thought you’d gone to bed."

"I was on my way to my room when I remembered something I wanted to ask you," she replied, stepping inside. "But I heard Lucas saying there’s something I need to know. What’s going on?"

"Nothing," I answered quickly. "Lucas was just leaving."

Lucas chuckled. "Really, Lucian? You’re going to lie to her again?"

I shot him an angry glare. "Lucas, I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

Olivia frowned, looking between us. "Can someone please tell me what’s happening? Why are you two arguing again?"

"Ask your husband," Lucas replied, folding his arms. "He’s the one who’s been keeping secrets."

"Lucas!" I growled.

"What? Are you going to deny it?"

I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to punch that irritating smile off his face. I couldn’t believe he was doing this, especially after I had made it clear that I didn’t want Olivia dragged into something that had happened four years ago.

"Lucian, please," Olivia said, drawing my attention back to her. "If there’s something I need to know, just tell me."

I looked at her for a moment before letting out a sigh. There was no point denying it anymore. Lucas had already said enough to make her suspicious, and the last thing I wanted was for her to think I couldn’t be honest with her.

"Alright," I said, gesturing toward the couch. "Please, sit down."

Olivia hesitated before sitting down, while Lucas remained standing near my desk. I considered ordering him out again, but I knew he would only make things worse.

"Four years ago, I was attacked," I began. "It happened after I attended a private meeting with some neighboring pack leaders."

Olivia’s expression changed, but she remained silent.

"The meeting was supposed to be peaceful. We were discussing a territorial dispute, and I had no reason to believe anyone would try to harm me. I went alone because I knew I could teleport back to the palace whenever I wanted. Unfortunately, someone had already planned an attack."

"The meeting ended that morning, and just as I was preparing to leave, several armed men surrounded the building, blocking every possible exit. At first, I thought they were ordinary rogues, but I quickly realized they knew exactly who I was and what I could do. They had come prepared to fight me."

"I tried to teleport, but before I could disappear, one of them fired a gun. The bullet struck my thigh, and within seconds, I felt something spreading through my body. It was a silver bullet coated with a powerful substance that weakened my wolf and blocked my supernatural abilities."

Olivia parted her lips, looking horrified.

"I fought back, but there were too many of them. I couldn’t teleport or mind-link my men, and I knew that if I stayed there much longer, they would kill me. Eventually, I managed to break through their formation and escape into the nearby woods."

"I kept running despite the pain, hoping to put enough distance between us to find somewhere safe. But the poison was spreading, and I was losing too much blood. My legs grew weaker, and eventually, I collapsed beneath a tree."

Olivia’s eyes remained fixed on me as I continued.

"I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. I had lost so much blood that everything around me was becoming blurry. I could hear footsteps somewhere nearby, but I didn’t have the strength to lift my head."

"Then a young woman found me."

Olivia shifted slightly in her seat, but she didn’t interrupt.

"She asked whether I was alright. She sounded frightened when she saw the blood, but she didn’t run away. Instead, she knelt beside me and tried to find out what had happened. I wanted to answer her, but I couldn’t speak properly. My vision was blurry, and I kept drifting in and out of consciousness."

"After examining my wound, she told me she would return shortly. I didn’t know whether to believe her. For all I knew, she could have been working with the men who attacked me. But I was too weak to do anything about it."

"She came back, just as she promised. She had gone to gather some herbs, which she crushed and pressed against my wound. I tried to pull away because of the pain, but she held me still and told me the herbs would help stop the bleeding."

"She kept telling me not to move and assuring me that I would be alright. I wanted to ask her name, but I couldn’t even form a proper sentence. The last thing I heard was her voice telling me to hold on before everything went dark."

For a moment, the room fell silent.

"When I regained consciousness later that morning, Leo and several of my guards were standing around me. They had started searching for me when I failed to return from the meeting and couldn’t be reached through the mind-link."

I glanced briefly at Lucas, who was listening quietly. He already knew about the attack and everything that had happened afterward.

"The first thing I asked Leo was where the young woman had gone. I wanted to thank her for helping me, but he told me they hadn’t seen anyone when they arrived. I asked them to search the surrounding area, hoping she was still nearby, but they couldn’t find her."

"My men eventually brought me back to the palace, where the royal healer examined me. He removed the bullet and treated the poison, but he told me something I’ll never forget."

I looked at Olivia.

"He said I was lucky to be alive. The poison had already spread through my body, and if someone hadn’t treated my wound before my men found me, I probably wouldn’t have survived. Apparently, the herbs that young woman used had slowed the bleeding and delayed the effects of the poison long enough for me to receive proper treatment."

Olivia’s expression softened.

"Without her help, my men might have found my corpse instead."

Olivia swallowed hard.

I continued. "It took several days before I recovered enough to walk properly. My wolf remained weak, and I couldn’t teleport until the poison had completely left my body. But even while I was recovering, I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman who had saved me."

"As soon as I was strong enough, I went back to that territory. I searched the nearby villages, questioned the local healers, and sent my men to investigate the surrounding settlements. I thought someone must have seen her or known who she was, but nobody could give me any useful information."

"Months passed, then years, and I still couldn’t find her. I didn’t even know her name or what she looked like. All I knew was that she had saved my life when she could easily have walked away."

Olivia lowered her eyes, listening quietly.

"At first, I simply wanted to thank her. But the longer I searched, the more attached I became to the idea of meeting her again. I wanted to know who she was, where she came from, and why she had helped a complete stranger when she had no reason to risk her own safety."

I hesitated before admitting the next part.

"Eventually, I made myself a promise. If I ever found her again, and she was willing, I would ask her to marry me."

Olivia slowly raised her head.

"Marry her?" she repeated, looking genuinely surprised.

I nodded. "Yes. I know it sounds ridiculous, considering I didn’t even know her name, but that was how strongly I felt about finding her. I wanted to spend my life with the woman who had saved mine."

She looked away, and I immediately noticed the change in her expression.

"Olivia, that was four years ago," I said quickly. "Things are different now. I won’t deny that I spent years searching for her, but I’ve decided to stop. I’ve fallen in love with you, and I don’t want to lose what we have because of something that happened in my past."

Olivia looked at me for a moment before speaking.

"Oh, so that was the secret you were keeping from me?"

I nodded. "Yes. And I meant what I said. I’m not going to continue searching for her."

She nodded slowly. "Oh, okay. There’s no problem, Lucian."

I frowned slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?"

"Because I know hearing something like this might upset you. If you’re angry with me, Olivia, please tell me. I’d rather you tell me how you feel than pretend everything is fine."

She shook her head. "I’m not angry, Lucian. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. I didn’t know you had someone like that in your past."

I studied her face, trying to understand what she was really thinking. She seemed calm, but I couldn’t help wondering whether she was hiding her disappointment. After all, I knew I wouldn’t have been pleased if she had told me she’d spent four years searching for another man.

"I understand," she continued with a small smile. "Besides, I can’t exactly be angry with you for having feelings for someone before we met."

I felt relieved, although something about her reaction still bothered me. Perhaps I had expected her to be jealous, or at least ask more questions. Instead, she seemed willing to accept everything without an argument.

"Are you really okay?" I asked.

Olivia chuckled softly. "Lucian, how many times do you want me to say it? I’m fine."

"Alright."

She glanced toward the door before looking back at me. "Anyway, it’s getting late. I think I’ll go to bed now."

I nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Goodnight, Olivia."

"Goodnight, Lucian. Goodnight, Lucas."

"Goodnight, Olivia," Lucas replied.

She gave us both a small smile before turning and walking out of the study.

I watched until the door closed behind Olivia, then turned toward Lucas, who was standing beside my desk.

"What?" I snapped.

Lucas folded his arms. "There’s more to that woman than you’re telling us, Lucian."

"I’ve told Olivia everything she needs to know," I replied firmly.

Lucas studied me for a moment before shaking his head. "Whatever you say, little brother."

With that, he teleported away.

*You didn’t tell her everything,* my wolf suddenly said in my head.

I frowned.

*You kept two important things from her. Why didn’t you tell her?*

*There’s no need to tell her about those two things,* I replied. *They’re not important anymore.*

*Not important?* my wolf growled. *Are you seriously saying that?*

*Yes. And I don’t want to discuss this again.*

My wolf growled in frustration, but I ignored him. I had my reasons for keeping those two things from Olivia, and I wasn’t ready to explain them to anyone. If she ever found out the whole truth, it could complicate our marriage and ruin everything I was trying to build with her. I couldn’t afford to take that risk, especially now that I had finally fallen in love with her.

I returned to my chair, still thinking about Olivia’s reaction. I was grateful that she hadn’t taken the news badly, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucas had deliberately put me in an uncomfortable position. He knew how complicated things already were between the three of us, yet he had insisted on bringing up something I had decided to leave behind.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened, and Leo stepped inside.

"Lucian, do you have a minute?"

"Of course. What’s going on?"

Leo hesitated before speaking. "It’s about the woman who saved your life four years ago. I think we have a strong lead that could help us find her."

I immediately frowned. "Leo, I’ve already told you to stop searching for her. What part of that don’t you understand?"

"But Lucian, I—"

"Leo, I don’t want to hear it!"

Leo took a step closer to my desk.

"All we need is your permission to continue the investigation."